by Leslie North
“Whatever it takes to get out of here,” Bahir murmured. He smiled down at his daughter. His memory of Amalia was hazy, but as he gazed down at his daughter, he could see his former lover in Aisha’s face. The same small button nose. The same crystal blue eyes. But the shape of her lips, the line of her jaw, that was all him. He couldn’t believe he was actually holding her, and at the same time, he had no idea what to do with her.
Suddenly, he realized that Amy was clearing her throat. He had no idea how long he’d been standing there, holding Aisha. “I thought you were in a hurry.”
Glaring, he followed her out of the one-room house, his three guards parting to allow them passage and then falling in to either side and behind him, peering into the darkness, their guns in their hands. His heart ached at the thought of his daughter being trapped here. “Gadi,” he said softly aside to the man walking at his right. “Take the girl’s bag and start the car. We’ll be leaving in a few minutes.”
He thought Amy resisted a little as the guard tried to take Aisha’s bag from her, but after a small tug-of-war, she gave it up, and Gadi disappeared into the darkness.
When the American opened the door to the orphanage, an older woman was standing there, waiting for them.
Amy bowed her head. “Shatha, this is….”
“I know,” Shatha said tersely. “I assume he’s taking Aisha?”
“I am,” Bahir interrupted, keeping his voice low. “And the American.”
“Amy. My name is Amy,” the woman snapped.
“Go pack your things,” Shatha ordered quietly. “Let me speak to His Royal Highness privately.”
Bahir noted an obvious level of respect between the two women. As Amy hurried away down the hall, he found himself facing the displeasure of the older woman. Lifting his chin in defiance, his arms tightening around the child he held, he said obliquely, “She belongs to me.” He didn’t want Aisha to know that he was her father until she was more comfortable with him.
“You knew of her birthmark but not her name?”
“I didn’t even know of her existence until last week. I discovered a letter that never reached me. It described her features, but her name had been washed away.” By tears, no doubt.
“She is a special girl,” Shatha said in a low voice. “She is very loved here, and if she were not in danger, I would not allow her to leave here without a fight.” She fixed him with a keen gaze and added, “Why are you taking Amy?”
“I need someone to care for Aisha while she isn’t feeling well.” Curious, he cocked his head. “Why is she working for you?”
“That’s something that you’ll have to ask Amy.” Shatha leaned over and smoothed a stray wisp of hair out of Aisha’s face. “Are you scared, darling?”
“No,” Aisha said innocently. “But my tummy hurts.”
The woman took a step back. “Your Royal Highness, I believe you should put Aisha down, now.”
“What? Why?” No sooner had he asked the question than the pretty little thing in his arms turned her head and proceeded to vomit all over the both of them.
“That’s why,” Shatha chuckled. “Let me get her cleaned up.”
Stunned, Bahir reluctantly put the girl down. Aisha immediately started to cry, and that was the scene that Amy walked back in on.
As Shatha led Aisha away, the American smirked. “Welcome to fatherhood.”
6
Amy leaned back against the seat, arms crossed. She frowned as she watched the car eat up the miles. When the sheikh had said they were going to a safe house, she didn’t think he meant a different country. How long had they been traveling?
When the car finally slowed down and turned onto what she assumed was an entrance road to their destination, she breathed a sigh of relief.
Short-lived relief, as it turned out, ending when they exited the car. They were in the middle of nowhere. How was this supposed to help Aisha? She stared up at the two-story mud-brick building hidden behind several large dunes and sporting a large underground panic room, or so the sheikh informed her.
“You will take care of her and ensure that she survives her illness,” Bahir ordered as he exited the car.
“I am not a nurse,” Amy snapped. “I suggest that you send for a doctor. If she’s your daughter, I would think that you would spare no expense when it comes to her. She shouldn’t still be throwing up, and her fever isn’t under control. She needs additional fluids to keep her hydrated.”
The sheikh waved his hand impatiently. “Write down whatever you need. I’ll send a guard to get it.”
“We’re hours away from civilization,” she grumbled, but she softened as she watched him lift the sleeping child from the car. Despite the fact that his expensive clothes were stained from the last time he’d carried Aisha, he didn’t seem put off. She had to give him some credit. He already seemed to have some affection for the girl.
“Then perhaps you should have thought of that when we left,” Bahir said in a low voice.
“Perhaps you should have told me how long we’d be driving,” she retorted, stretching. Exhaustion was setting in, and she was feeling downright punchy. From the not-so-furtive looks the guards exchanged, she could tell that they disapproved of her attitude toward the sheikh, but given the situation, he hadn’t exactly earned her respect.
Bahir grunted in reply and carried Aisha into the safe house. Amy followed.
The inside was lavishly decorated with beautiful, vibrant murals and tapestries and equally gorgeous rugs. Bold blues, greens, and reds attracted the eye, and Amy had a hard time fixing on any one thing. The decorations alone were worth enough to feed the orphans for months.
It was hard to hold onto her anger, though. Huge divisions in wealth were an issue all over, and at least Aisha would grow up in the lap of luxury.
“She’ll sleep here,” the sheikh commanded as he laid his daughter gently down on the bed. “Your room will be next door.”
“I’ll stay here with Aisha where I can keep an eye on her,” Amy objected.
“No,” Bahir said coldly. “You’ll stay with me where I can keep an eye on you.”
With that one sentence, he’d managed to suck all the air out of the room. Amy struggled to hide her reaction, even though deep down, she wasn’t sure what she was feeling. Even if she didn’t want to admit it, she felt intimidated by him. Attracted to him. Curious about him, but she’d never expected to be intimate with him. Sleeping in the same room with him, someone she didn’t know from Adam, heightened the temptation to give in and do something wild and dangerous.
This sheikh certainly seemed wild and dangerous.
Her logical side kicked in, and she drew herself up to her full height. “I understand that you don’t have your usual women to service you, but I hope you don’t expect me to step into that role.”
“My usual women?” he said in a deceptively mild tone, eyebrows rising.
Flapping her hand in the air, she answered, “You know. That blonde.” At his quizzical look, she added, “From the aquarium.”
The corners of his mouth twitched. “You’re not going to be in my room to service me, American. You’ll be in my room until I know that you’re not working for the rebels. Until I know that my daughter is no longer in danger.”
“First of all, my name is Amy. Second of all, where do you think I’m going to go? I’d die of dehydration before I made it halfway back to town,” she grumbled. She could steal one of the cars, but even then, she wasn’t sure she’d know how to get back. Besides, she couldn’t leave Aisha behind, and until the girl was better, it might be dangerous for her to travel.
“It’s not up for debate. You either room with me, or you can take your chances in the desert.”
He looked pointedly at the door as if he expected her to leave, but Amy stood her ground. “She’s a child. If she wakes up in the middle of the night, and there’s a good chance that she will since she’s sick, she’s going to be in a foreign place and alone. She’s going to
be scared. The least you can do is let me spend tonight with her.”
An angry look crossed his face, but he nodded, a short, sharp gesture. Amy hurried to Aisha’s side before Bahir could change his mind, and he left the room without another word.
Putting a hand to the child’s forehead, she grimaced. The fever was getting worse. Digging in her bag, she pulled out some children’s aspirin and the container of water she’d packed.
“Hey, baby girl,” she cooed gently.
Aisha whimpered and opened her eyes. “Don’t feel good,” the little girl said sleepily.
Amy stroked the sweat-dampened hair. “I know, darling. Can you take your medicine?”
The brave child nodded and sat up. As she swallowed her pills, she looked around and yawned. “Where are we?”
“Do you remember Sheikh Bahir? The man who visited you?”
Aisha’s eyes immediately widened. “He’s a sheikh?” She scrunched up her nose in dismay, managing to look adorable. “I accidentally got sick all over him.”
“Yes, you did,” Amy chuckled. She refrained from telling the child that it had been a proud moment. “This is one of his homes. He’s going to keep you here until you feel better. You’ll sleep here tonight, and then in the morning, we’ll explore! How does that sound?”
Settling back in the pillows, the girl nodded. “Okay. Where will you be?”
“I’m going to be right here.”
“I’m a big girl,” Aisha protested. “You don’t need to sleep with me.”
“You are a big girl, and you don’t need me to sleep with you. But maybe I need to sleep with you. At least, for tonight. Is that okay?”
The girl was already drifting off to sleep. Amy glanced at the clock on the beautifully carved dark dresser against the wall. She’d give it an hour, and if Aisha’s temperature still hadn’t gone down, she’d have to resort to more drastic measures, like a cold bath, although she wasn’t sure how she was going to manage that in the middle of the desert.
Holding the empty water container, she crept out of the bedroom.
Bahir and two of the guards were waiting for her. “How is she?” he asked her gruffly.
“She’s still running a fever. I gave her more aspirin to help bring it down. We’ll see in the next hour if it works. I’ll need to get more of the children’s aspirin and something for her diarrhea. We might also want to get some medicine for her nausea, as well. In addition, I’m going to need some tea, lemons, honey, apple cider vinegar, and some turmeric paste.” Amy watched as the guard scribbled everything down. “You have to realize that this isn’t going to do a whole lot of good if she has a bacterial infection. This addresses the symptoms, not necessarily the cause.”
“I’m sending word back to the palace. I don’t trust the village doctor to look after her. Within a day or two, my personal physician will be out here to look after her. In the meantime, you will do what you can.” Bahir looked at the empty container. “Taysir will get you some water.”
The guard stepped forward and took the bottle from her.
That left Amy and Bahir alone, and Amy swallowed hard. Without anything left to argue about, she had nothing to focus on except how her body reacted to him. Alone with him, the feelings intensified.
Nervous, she tightened the hijab around her head, and he smirked as though he knew what she was thinking. “You don’t have to wear that here.”
“I don’t want to show any disrespect.” Swallowing in a desperate attempt to wet her throat, she chewed on her bottom lip. He took a step toward her, and she wanted nothing more than to step back, but she held her ground. Slowly, he reached out and lowered the fabric.
“You’re far too lovely to want to do me harm,” he whispered. “Although, usually it’s the most beautiful women that you have to watch out for, isn’t it?”
“I’ve only been in your kingdom for a few months, and I don’t even know you,” she whispered. “Why would I want to do you harm?”
“So then what are you doing with my daughter, American?”
“Running away,” she answered honestly. “I was running away from my life.”
His eyes narrowed as his fingers lightly stroked a long strand of her hair, and she shivered in spite of herself. “And what would you have to run from?”
Remembering the pain of her broken heart, she finally stepped away. “Why don’t you tell me where you’ve been for the past few years while your daughter has been living in an impoverished orphanage?”
His eyes darkened even more, becoming pools of ink. “A child born out of wedlock is an embarrassment to the royal family. My uncle thought he was protecting me by keeping my daughter away from me, but now that I know about her, I’m not going to let anything get between us.” He pressed forward as he talked, and instinctively she shrank backward, away from him, until her back encountered a wall. He trapped her there, pressing the palms of his hands on the whitewashed wall behind her.
She jutted her chin up. “I’m not standing in your way, Sheikh. I’m simply looking out for the girl in my charge. I don’t know anything about a rebellion.” She cleared her throat and sought to take another tack. “I’m a writer. I came here looking for a story.”
“And a bunch of orphaned children make a story for you?” he asked, disgust plain in his voice.
“Impoverished orphanages that are banished to the outskirts of an otherwise wealthy kingdom is a story. I’m not the bad guy here, Your Highness. Maybe you’ll find him in the mirror.”
The guard returned with her water, and she ducked under Bahir’s arm, collected the container, and scurried to the bedroom. Closing the door, she closed her eyes and leaned against it.
Her heart pounded in her chest, and she couldn’t decide if it was the fear of confronting one of the most powerful men in the kingdom or desire because she wanted him.
For her sanity, she prayed it was the former.
7
Bahir pulled up the email on his phone and was happy to read that Iman had already deployed guards to the village to try and identify the rebels while his younger brother, Riyad, gathered several guards to escort the palace doctor to the safe house. They planned to be there tomorrow, although Aisha was already showing signs of improvement. Her fever had broken last night, and this morning, she’d eaten a large breakfast. So far, she was holding everything down.
Now that his daughter was alert and curious, Bahir found himself keeping his distance. He had no idea how he was going to explain that he was Aisha’s father or how he might bond with her. Only recently, he’d become an adoring uncle to Iman’s Iris, but there was a huge difference between being an uncle and taking on the role of a father. He could spoil his niece Iris silly, but in the end, it was Iman’s job to protect and raise her. Now, it was Bahir’s job to do the same for Aisha, and he had no idea how to go about it.
He shook his head at his brother’s current attempt at advice. Clearly, Iman still had to work things out for himself before he offered anything useful to Bahir. Thankfully, Natalie’s frequent emails contained far more helpful questions and advice. She agreed with the guess that Aisha probably had rotavirus, and she’d laughed when he confessed that upon their first official meeting, since the aquarium didn’t count, Aisha had thrown up all over him. Bahir didn’t know whether to be appreciative or concerned when Natalie warned him of much more to come. More of what? Vomit? He was fairly certain that smell was never coming out of his dress shirt.
He thought back to their brief meeting at the aquarium; he could kick himself for not remembering them sooner. The little girl had been so sweet and animated as she talked excitedly about the reef sharks. So much so that he’d made sure to go back to look at them again before leaving. He snarled to himself, remembering how that catty woman had treated his daughter; something she wouldn’t have dared try if she had known who the father was. Not that he would have allowed her anywhere near the little girl.
He briefly puzzled over what that woman’s name had been and
shrugged it off as irrelevant. She’d only been there to look good for the press coverage for the new aquarium, and after the incident, he’d no intention of spending any more time with her.
Bahir remembered thinking that the woman who came to Aisha’s rescue at the aquarium had been a spitfire as she’d tried to fight off one of the guards to get to her charge.
The beautiful American vexed him. Cursory reports showed that she’d bought her plane ticket only a week before she flew out. She had no ties to any rebel groups, and she’d almost immediately started working for Shatha. Unless the whole orphanage had ties to rebels, which there were no reports to prove, then Amy was nothing more than an innocent worker, and a volunteer at that.
He could claim all he wanted that the intent behind bringing her along was to tend to his daughter, but truth be told, he wanted her. It would be better to keep her at arm’s length and fantasize in private, because the longer they spent time together, the harder it was becoming to keep his hands off her.
She was beautiful. Hair darker than sin, framing her petite face. Large glacier blue eyes and full, red lips. Her skin was sun-kissed, but when he’d watched her walking around yesterday, the neckline of her shirt had slipped enough to reveal a tan line. Beneath her concealing clothing, her skin was almost alabaster. He couldn’t help but wonder where her other tan lines were, and his cock stirred at the thought.
Did she wear a bikini back in Florida? Was her abdomen dark? Would her tan lines show that she wore strappy bathing suits? Maybe even a thong?
Would she moan when he traced the lines with his finger?